Broadband Content Race is On → What's the point?

What is the point of broadband content if we can't download any of it? 5/1 GB/month limits don't exactly allow for much more than email and text messaging.

cox and NTL are going with the 30GB(down) a month limit. or 1 gig a day.

does your broadband provider have a 5GB a month limit?

said by odog:

---

cox and NTL are going with the 30GB(down) a month limit. or 1 gig a day.

does your broadband provider have a 5GB a month limit?
--
disclaimer: my opinions are my own, my employer is not responsible.
[text was edited by author 2003-03-02 13:13:34]

---

Doesn't matter. The point being that there are limits. Hard to justify the price of new pay-per-view stuff if you then have to fork over even more money for "extra" bandwidth, or face suspension of privileges for being a "bandwidth hog".

That's what I keep wondering:

how can broadband providers continue to talk about caps and limits, but at the same time talk about offering bandwidth intensive "value added" services?

Unfortunately, I think their model for this is that they prioritize the value added content, while throttling everything else.

Because it's the same silly "build it and they will come" attitude that all the dot bomb companies had back at the start of Internet shopping. ISPs have been pretty successful getting the early adopters and computer gurus on board, but they still haven't gotten many of people that feel dialup is fast enough for their online experience. All this extra content stuff is glitz to make Average Joe believe he needs broadband. While many people here know that such content requires a lot of bandwidth, Average Joe probably doesn't and will think he's getting something special.

quote:

---

Doesn't matter. The point being that there are limits. Hard to justify the price of new pay-per-view stuff if you then have to fork over even more money for "extra" bandwidth, or face suspension of privileges for being a "bandwidth hog".

---

If you use more than your limits, then pay extra. The days of the unlimited internet are on their way out. Get used to it.

I am a heavy power user, and I haven't used more than 25 gig in a month. I am involved with VPN, Terminal Services, online gaming, downloading demos and patches, and so on. I am sure there are heavier users out there, but that is why they will pay more money, find another ISP, or go back to dialup.

said by nasadude:

---

how can broadband providers continue to talk about caps and limits, but at the same time talk about offering bandwidth intensive "value added" services?

---

Simple! (Its all about the benjamins) GREED!
ISPs long for the day its pay per byte like electricity is pay per kilowatt hour.
bytecaps will kill any sort of "broadband enhanced content".
its just a big cash grab and everyone wants their piece of the action. California is even thinking of taxing online purchases.

said by Nightfall:

---

If you use more than your limits, then pay extra. The days of the unlimited internet are on their way out. Get used to it.

I am a heavy power user, and I haven't used more than 25 gig in a month. I am involved with VPN, Terminal Services, online gaming, downloading demos and patches, and so on. I am sure there are heavier users out there, but that is why they will pay more money, find another ISP, or go back to dialup.

---

Hmm -- so much for "The customer is always right", eh? Now it's "Soak 'em for every last dime", and you're OK with that...

quote:

---

Hmm -- so much for "The customer is always right", eh? Now it's "Soak 'em for every last dime", and you're OK with that...

---

What does it have to do with "the customer is always right"? Broadband is a business and bandwidth isn't cheap. I could see these problems popping up about 4 years ago.

I am ok with broadband providers offering plenty of bandwidth to their customers. I am also ok with people who want to run servers and P2P 24/7 to pay more for the bandwidth they use.

BS bandwidth isn't cheap. ISPs pay a flat rate for their bandwidth, regardless of whether its used or not. Beyond the initial costs of installing a network and basic maintenance and electric bill, bandwidth costs NOTHING. It's like saying that I can't transfer more than 10GB on my LAN per month or the commie government will get me.

All of this talk of "bandwidth hogs" and "power users" is a total load of crap. I would only consider someone a "power user" or "bandwidth hog" if they were saturating their line 24x7.
[text was edited by author 2003-03-02 22:23:17]

quote:

---

Hmm -- so much for "The customer is always right", eh? Now it's "Soak 'em for every last dime", and you're OK with that...

---

Unfortunately for the customer, the cliche isn't always true. Many customers have decided to take advantage of the cliche and use it to screw businesses over- saying, "Since the customer is always right, you'll offer what I say for the price that I want- even if it means that it's FREE!"

Companies want customers because they pay them money- NOT so that the company can say that they have customers. The goal is to make lots of money- not to be able to say you have lots of customers. Lots of customers means nothing if you aren't making enough profit from it. And when you run a business, it is your responsibility to make sure you are making enough money from the business to stay in business.

Sometimes that means making decisions and making policies that some of your customers don't like. Unfortunately, that means that those customers are free to go elsewhere for the chosen product.

Boogie

said by boogie74:

---

Unfortunately, that means that those customers are free to go elsewhere for the chosen product.

Boogie

---

In this business, that isn't usually the case though. Customers can't go somewhere else for a chosen product. They have to accept whatever they are told they will get.

said by KrK:

---

said by boogie74:

---

Unfortunately, that means that those customers are free to go elsewhere for the chosen product.

Boogie

---

In this business, that isn't usually the case though. Customers can't go somewhere else for a chosen product. They have to accept whatever they are told they will get.

---

Not necessarily- but in many cases you are correct. However, we aren't dealing with a common used product right now- with ALL newly developed products, the field of competition is limited to the few players willing to pony up the cash to try selling it.

When broadband is available to 70-80% of the population (not territory of the country, the POPULATION) and only 15-20% take advantage of it, it is obvious that the product is not a life requirement.

Boogie

said by EnKrypTion0:

---

BS bandwidth isn't cheap. ISPs pay a flat rate for their bandwidth, regardless of whether its used or not. Beyond the initial costs of installing a network and basic maintenance and electric bill, bandwidth costs NOTHING. It's like saying that I can't transfer more than 10GB on my LAN per month or the commie government will get me.

All of this talk of "bandwidth hogs" and "power users" is a total load of crap. I would only consider someone a "power user" or "bandwidth hog" if they were saturating their line 24x7.
[text was edited by author 2003-03-02 22:23:17]

---

I have worked in the industry and have seen the cost of bandwidth to the ISP. It is not cheap. I have also read numerous reports stating this fact as well. Now, my question is, why is it expensive? Who drives the price up? No one seems to know the TRUE cost of bandwidth. If you have any info, I would like to read about it.

Oh, and the power user and bandwidth hog does exist. If you only consider those people to exist if they saturate the line 24/7, then you can count on them existing. There are people out there right now running P2P and FTP servers 24/7 sharing gigs of data. They are saturating their upload and download as we speak and doing it all the time. Therefore, according to your definition, they are bandwidth hogs and power users.

Basically it's so they can oversubscribe their networks. :/